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Large Red Sphere

Large Red Sphere is a sculpture by the American artist Walter De Maria. Created in 2002, it is a heavy red granite sphere weighing 25 tons. The work has a diameter of 2.60 meters and is installed in the Türkentor in Munich, in the Kunstareal between the Brandhorst Museum and the Pinakothek der Moderne.

Large Red Sphere on a dark stepped pedestal in a bright room with wooden beams overhead.
Large Red Sphere displayed on a dark multi-tiered pedestal inside a bright museum room.
October 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Large Red Sphere sculpture on a two-tiered circular pedestal in a bright interior space.
Large Red Sphere displayed on a circular pedestal inside a brightly lit room.
June 2011 © · CC BY 3.0
Large Red Sphere displayed indoors between weathered classical pillars.
Large Red Sphere on display in an indoor pavilion framed by classical pillars.
May 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

Typesphere sculpture
TitleLarge Red Sphere

Creator

ArtistWalter De Maria
Artist nationalityAmerican

Historical context

Year created2002

Discovery and provenance

Place of manufacturea granite works in Aicha vorm Wald, Lower Bavaria, Germany
Acquisition year2006
Acquiring institutionUdo and Anette Brandhorst Foundation
Commissioning or collection goalThe Bavarian State Painting Collections had been seeking since 2001 to acquire a work by Walter De Maria to enrich their focus on contemporary North American art.
Similar earlier works by the artistDe Maria had already created sphere works in 1989 for the French National Assembly in Paris and in 2000 and 2004 for the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum and the Chichu Art Museum in Japan.

Materials

Materialred granite

Physical characteristics

Pedestalthree-tiered round pedestal made of dark gray stone
Surrounding architectural elementsFour weathered stone columns stand around the pedestal near the corners of the building.
Support structure above columnsA construction of old wooden beams that originally formed the intermediate ceiling of the Türkentor.
Surface finishsmoothly polished
Shapesphere
Weight25 tons
Diameter2.60 meters

Appearance

Formal contrastThe sphere and pedestal contrast with the cubic room structure.
Reflective effectThe polished surface reflects the room and the windows.
Viewing dependenceThe artwork's effect depends on the viewer's position.

Iconography and meaning

Artistic conceptFollows De Maria's concept "One Room – One Work".

Location and ownership

Current locationTürkentor, Munich, Germany
SettingKunstareal, between the Brandhorst Museum and the Pinakothek der Moderne
Installation sitethe Türkentor
Loan statusProvided to the Bavarian State Painting Collections as a permanent loan
Exhibition spaceThe cubic structure of the Türkentor, the last remaining building fragment of the Türkenkaserne built in the 19th century.
Location within the roomPlaced in the middle of the space.

History and restoration

Renovation descriptionThe Türkentor was converted and comprehensively renovated while preserving the historic fabric for the installation of the sculpture.
Architectural firm responsible for conversionSauerbruch Hutton
Estimated renovation costabout 1 million euros
Main funding source for renovationlargely financed by the Stiftung Pinakothek der Moderne
Public unveiling date23 October 2010
Public presentation occasionmade accessible to the public during a citizen festival
Renovation start year2009